Many integrated circuit (“IC”) devices incorporate thin film resistors (TFRs), which provide various advantage over other types of resistors. For example, TFRs may be highly accurate, and may be finely tuned to provide a very precise resistance value. In addition, TFRs typically have a low temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR), e.g., after a suitable annealing process to “tune” the TCR to a near-zero value, which may provide stable operation over a wide range of operating temperatures. Further, TFRs typical have smaller parasitic components which provides advantageous high frequency behavior.
A TFR may include any suitable resistive film formed on or in an insulating substrate. Some common IC-integrated TFR materials include SiCr, SiCCr, TaN, and TiN, although any other suitable materials may be used. One common drawback of thin film resistors is that their fabrication typically requires additional processing steps. For example, multiple masking steps are typically required to form an integrated TFR.